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Playing Marbles used to just involve hitting some other marbles out of a chalk circle in the playground. However, those enterprising folks at Atari took the marbles and made them battle it out in an all-or-nothing race set across varied isometric 3D scrolling landscapes.

The object of each race is simply to reach the Goal! flag positioned at the end of the course. But before you can get there, it's your job to negotiate a number of cunning traps positioned by the Marble Madness authorities. Each level has its own hazards to overcome, and there are also the likes of mutant black marbles and moving acid pools trying to stop your attempts.

Controlling the marble is perhaps the stiffest challenge. The orb-like object responds realistically to the landscape and owing to the inclined surfaces, tends to roll about a bit. Later levels also boast massive ramps that your marble uses to perform nifty jumps.

Sounds like a bit of a challenge, huh? Let's put it this way - Marble Madness is the ultimate test of your ball-controlling abilities!

To add that racy feeling, MB Games have included the arcade game's simultaneous two-player mode. The gameplay is not significantly altered, but extra points are on offer for the player who gets to the finishing line first!

The marble you control is capable of accelerating at a much faster speed simply by holding down the control pad's A button. Although controlling the marble at speed is a bit more difficult, the course can be completed with more seconds to spare!

This also comes in handy for making some of the large jumps needed to complete some of the later levels successfully.

Marble Madness is certainly a classic game concept, and it's good to see it resurfacing on the Nintendo. The graphics are sound are both authentic to the original arcade machine, and the playability is as good as it ever was.

It's the best version of the game I've ever played, knocking spots off the Amiga vesion in the playability department.

The only slight problem is the lack of levels. Six isn't really that much, and I went through four on my first attempt. What Marble Madness does have in its favour however, is the fact that it's so enjoyable to play, even when you complete it, you still come back for more, simply because it's such a good laugh to play.

Check out the game in your local shop, and no doubt Marble Madness will soon win you over.

I went bonkers over Marble Madness when it first came out in the arcades, and it's great to get the chance to play it again! It's a superb conversion, with all - and I mean all - of the original machine's features, graphics and sounds.

The gameplay is replicated perfectly, and all the little tricks and moves that work in the coin-op also work here!

The only questionable aspect is its lasting appeal - it only has six levels, and it's not that difficult to complete them. However, even though I finished it, I constantly kept going back to see if I could improve my score.

And the two-player mode is always a laugh! So unless you've lost all your marbles, check out Marble Madness.

Presentation 79%
Close to the arcade game in terms of presentation. In other words, pretty average.

Graphics 87%
Isometric 3D backdrops of superb quality along with decent sprites, perfectly converted from the coin-op.

Sound 81%
Again, just like the coin-op with good tunes and average effects.

Playability 93%
Easy to get into and highly addictive from the outset.

Lastability 82%
Only six levels, but the great gameplay and two-player action are enough to keep you coming back for more.

Overall 85%
A spot-on conversion of an excellent coin-op that features brill graphics and sound and mega-addictive gameplay!